Rat-trap.



W. E. MORRIS.

RAT TRAP.

APPLIATION FILED MAB..Z4.1008.

WILLIAM E. MORRIS, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAT-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '7, 1908.

Application filed March 24, 1908. Serial No. 422,988.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAIWI E. MORRIS, a citizen yof the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Rat-Traps, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to animal traps and particularly to rat traps andthe object of my invention is to provide a rat trap which may bearranged to bring the entrance thereof to the entrance of a rat hole,wherever it may be whether in a corner, sidewall or floor, so that therats cannot leave the hole without entering the trap.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

With these objects 1n view, my invention consists generally in a boxlike body having a trap door partition dividing it into an entrance andtrap chambers, a pair of doors closing the entrance end of the box, thebottom at the entrance end having an aperture or hole, and a slide onthe top of the door and adapted to be extended beyond the end of the boxto close the s ace between the upper edges of the doors wien partiallyopen.

My invention further consists in various details of construction andarrangements of parts all as will be hereinafter fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accomanying drawings forming a part of this speci cation, and in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the tra with the end doors partiallyopened, Fig. 2 1s a vertical longitudinal section illustrating thedevice arranged in position at the entrance to a hole in a iloor, andFig. 3 is a top plan view illustrating the device as arranged at a holein a corner.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the body of the trap whichcomprises a rectangular box like member consisting of the side walls 2-2and the top and bottom walls 3 and 4 respectively. The body 1 ispreferably elongated and is divided near one end by trap doors 5 intoentrance and trap chambers 6 and 7 respectively. The doors 5 consist ofa plurality of parallel sharpened rongs rigidly connected at their upperends y the plates 9 and hingedly mounted upon a transverse bar or rod 10arranged beneath a transverse flange 11 dependin from the to 3. The rearend of the cham er 7 is closet by a door 12 hingedly connected to oneside as at 13 and secured in closed position by a hook 14 or othersuitable lookin@r means. The front or entrance end is closed tby a pairof doors 15-15 hingedly connected as at 16 to the sides of the box andsecured in closed position by a hook or equivalent device 17. The bottom4 at its'front edge is provided with an opening or aperture 18 whichforms the entrance to the box when the doors 15 are closed. This isemployed when a rat hole is in the floor, the hole 18 being placed abovethe hole in the 'floor as shown in Fig. 2, 19 indicating the 'floor and20 the rat hole.

If the rat hole is in a side Wall the doors 15 are thrown back or wideopen and the end of the box is placed to close the hole. Frequently therat hole is in a corner as indicated in Fig. 3, in this case the doorsare thrown partially o en and at an angle corres onding to the wa s 2].,that is each door is p aced at about 45 degrees. To close the spacebetween the upper edges of the doors when the trap is in this position,I provide a slide 22 mounted in guides 23 upon the top of the box. Theend of the slide is pointed as at 24 to conform to the walls 2l and isextended beyond the end ofthe box as shown in Fig. 3. 25 indicates ahandle on the slide for manipulating the same and 26 a handle on the topof the box forlifting or handling the trap.

27 is a bait hook arranged in the chamber 7.

I/Vhen catching rats in large numbers a sack or bag formed of stoutnetting may be secured to the rear end of the box, the door 12 beingopened. In Fig. 2 I have illustrated this arrangement, 28 indicating thesack and 29 a band or strap for securing it in position.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

1. A rat tra comprising a box like body having a trap cfbor partitionextending transversely thereof, the bottom of said body near one endhaving an entrance hole, a pair of doors hingedly mounted at ltheentrance end of the trap and a slide upon the top of the body andadapted to be extended beyond the end of the box to close the s aceabove the doors when partially open, su stantially as described.

2. A rat tra comprising an elongated rectangular box ike body divided bya transverse tra door, a door closing one end of said body an a pair ofdoors hingedly connected to said body at the opposite end, the bottom Intestimony whereof I have signed my of said body being provided With an oenng naine to this speofioation in the presence of adjacent to saiddoors and a slide on t e top two subscribing Witnesses.

of said body adapted to olose the space be- WILLIAM E. MORRIS. 5 tweenthe upper edges of the doors When par- -Witnesses:

tially open, said slide having a pointed end, HELEN F. LILLIS,

substantially as described. ANNA L. EKvALL.

